After months of silence and political retreat following AAP’s crushing defeat in the February 2025 Delhi elections, Arvind Kejriwal seems poised for a comeback—thanks to twin bypoll victories in Punjab’s Ludhiana West and Gujarat’s Visavadar.
These wins come at a crucial time for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), especially the Gujarat victory, which was hailed by the party as a breakthrough in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home turf, where the BJP has reigned since 1998. AAP leaders quickly credited the victory to Kejriwal’s vision, the Punjab government's governance, and grassroots party efforts.
The buzz around Kejriwal possibly entering the Rajya Sabha from Punjab intensified after AAP MP Sanjeev Arora contested and won the Ludhiana West Assembly seat, prompting speculation that he might vacate his RS seat for the AAP chief. However, Kejriwal has firmly shut down the rumours, stating, "I am not going to Rajya Sabha."
Kejriwal’s re-emergence is being interpreted by his party as a signal of his re-entry into national politics, with AAP’s Delhi unit president Saurabh Bhardwaj even calling it “explosive.” Bhardwaj also linked the Gujarat victory to the party’s long-term ambitions and labeled the Delhi loss a result of “deceit” by the BJP.
Though Kejriwal may not be taking the parliamentary route via the Rajya Sabha, the symbolic significance of these bypoll results—especially in Gujarat—offers him a much-needed political opening. After months of silence amid corruption allegations and internal setbacks, the wins could be the launchpad for his next national move.
With Punjab and Gujarat heading to assembly elections in 2027, the road to rebuilding AAP’s national relevance may have just reopened—one electoral win at a time.
